Really scared, do I need to be gene tested?

artisto101

hello, I just want to start out by saying I have horrible health anxiety and I tend to thing the worst of things, especially when it comes to breast cancer for some reason. I don’t want to sound selfish but I really wanted to know if I should get tested for a gene mutation, the thought of having one is completely terrifying me at the moment...

my dads side has never had health issues and all lived very long lives, however, recently my moms side has had some issues.

My moms cousin recently past away due to lymphoma (he was around 50 at the time) and my moms other cousin is currently being treated for stage 0 breast cancer, I heard her and her sister are both having surgery to remove their breasts and ovaries (they are around 50 too)

My mom told me her and her other cousin decided to get tested for genetic mutations come February. This of course terrified me because I am so scared my family or I could have a genetic mutation that could cause cancer early in life.

I am only 20 but gene mutations have been a fear of mine for a very long time and I didn’t think my mom would ever even consider getting gene tested because we never had a cancer issue until recently

My mom is in her mid 50s and she is honestly the healthiest person I have ever known (she is a healthnut and a gym rat, i mean that as a complement) and she isn’t even scared of getting gene tested!! She’s asked if I would like to aswell but i heard it’s expensive so I wouldn’t want to test unless she had a bad result.

Based on this info... do I or my mom sound likely to have a mutation?? I’m sorry if this sounds dumb, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to at least try and ask on this site. If you read my full comment and are willing to give me an answer I would greatly appretate it, thank you so much.

ShinyLife

Hi Artistio,

Going thru the genetic testing process can be scary. I just went thru it myself as my paternal grandmother and all of her sisters that reached adulthood had breast cancer in their 40s. For me, knowledge is power. If it came back, it would mean that we would be more vigilant in my screening and consider proactive steps. But having the gene mutation, doesn't autoatmically mean you'll get breast cancer. It just means that there is a stronger possibility. If you're nervous, maybe wait and see how it goes for your mom and her cousin. That will then guide you as to whether it makes sense to have the same testing.

MelissaDallas

I’d wait for my mom to get tested. Her cousins could have inherited the gene mutation from their other parent. The fact that your mom is mid-fifties and cancer free makes it less likely she has it. Even if your mom had a cancer gene mutation you would only have a 50% chance of inheriting it